Disintegrating cartridge belt



w. T. MOORE IDISIYN'JEGBATING CARTRIDGE BELT Dec. 3, 1935;

Filed April 14, 19:55

Wile INVENTOR. '1'. Mn :1 r- E BY ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE (Granted under the act-of -Maroh 3, 188 amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a disintegrating cartridge belt intended for feeding cartridges to a machine gun or rifle. Y

The main objects of the invention are the provison of a link belt of extreme flexibility from which the cartridges may be extracted either forwardly or rearwardly and in which the cartridges may be accurately positioned and firmly held without undue binding or gripping of the cartridges.

These objects are accomplished, broadly by providing links adapted to be joined by the cartridges which form pintles between the links, and

in which linlm the cartridges have a free sliding fit; means being provided for engaging the cartridges to position them and hold them against accidental displacement.

Specifically the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing links having open rings of an internal diameter suflicient to allow the cartridges to freely slide therethrough and by-prov'iding a detent on one of said rings of each link adapted to engage in front of the head of the cartridge.

With the foregoing and such other objects in I view as may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood, however, that changes in the precise embodiment "of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

One preferred form of the invention is illus-- trated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a'plan view of a section of belt the cartridges show in broken lines:

' Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 0 Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the-line 3-3 of Fig. 1. A

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which a link is formed.

Referring to the drawing by numerals of refer ence: i

There is formed a blank having slots 4 and 5 and notches 6 and 1 in alignment with the respective slots. These slots and notches define an intermediate strip 8 and end strips 9 and III, the

strip 9 which is to form the forward ring of the of a cartridge.

link being by preference, slightly narrower than the strip III which forms the rear ring of the link. The strip Ill may be formed with a rearwardly extending lug ll, having therein a detent most clearly in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, and in the process of rolling, the rings formed by the 15 strips are slightly oifset, as seen most clearly at l3, Fig. 2. This oifset is preferably in extent about the thickness of the metal of which the link is made so as to permit passage of the rings of one link past those of the next adjoining link 20 without binding, when the links are assembled into a belt.

The ring formed by the strip 8 has a loose flt on. the cartridge case, while the rings formedby the end strips 9 and I0 havean easy-sliding fit 25 on the cartridge case, thereby allowing great flexibility to. the belt and permitting the cartridges to be extracted from the belt either rearwardly or forwardly.

Thebelt is assembled by placing the ring 30 formed by the strip 8 of one link between the rings formed by the strips 9 and J0 of another link and inserting a cartridge until the detent l2 snaps into the cannelure when the cartridge will be held firmly in place without binding between 35 it and the rings thus. 'forming' a pintle about which the links turn freely. This operation is continued until a belt of the desired length is formed. I

I claim: 1. A disintegrating belt link, embodying an open ring, and axially alined open rings offset from and spaced by a. portion of the curved wall of said first mentioned ring.

2. A disintegrating belt link, embodying an 4.5 open ring, axially alined open rings offset from and spaced by a portion of the curved wall of saidfirst mentioned ring, and a detent on one of said alined rings-adapted to snap into the cannelure 3. A disintegrating belt link, embodying an open ring, axially alined open rings offset from and spaced by a portion of the curved wall of said, flrst mentioned ring, a lug on one of said alined rings, and a detent on the lug.

4.A disintegrating belt link, embodying an open ring, axially alined open rings offset from said first mentioned ring, a portion of the curved wallsof the aforesaid rings forming the ofiset, and a detenton one of said alined rings adapted to snap into the cannelure of a cartridge.

5. A disintegrating belt link. embodying an open ring having an interior diameter slightly greater than the exterior diameter of the cylindrical portion of a cartridge case, and axially alined open rings offset from and spaced by a portion of the curved wall of said fist mentioned ring, said alined rings having an interior diameter substantially equal to the exterior diameter of a cartridge case, whereby a belt of great flexibility is formed from which the cartridges may be extracted either rearwardly or forwardly.

6. A disintegrating belt link, embodying an open ring having an interior diameter slightly greater than the exterior diameter of the cylindrical portion of a cartridge case, axially alined open rings offset from and spaced by a portion of the curved wall of said first mentioned ring, said alined rings having an interior diameter substantially equal to the exterior diameter of a cartridge case, whereby a belt of great flexibility is formed from which the cartridges may be extracted either rearwardly or forwardly, and a detent on one of said alined rings adapted to snap into the cannelure of a cartridge.

7. A disintegrating belt link, embodying an open ring having an interior diameter slightly greater than the exterior diameter of the cylini;

drical portion of a cartridge case, axially alined open rings offset from the spaced by a portion of the curved wall of said fist mentioned ring, said alined rings having an interior diameter substantially equal to the exterior diameter of a car- 10 trid'ge case whereby a belt of great flexibility is formed from which the cartridges may be extracted either rearwardly or forwardly, a. lug on one of said alined rings, and a detent on the lug.

8. A disintegrating belt link embodying an open 15 ring, and alined open rings offset from and spaced by said first mentioned ring the link characterized by the fact that the connecting strip forms a part of the curved wall of each ring.

9. A disintegrating belt link embodying an 0 open ring bent in one direction, and alined open rings bent in the opposite direction, said alined rings offset from and spaced by the first mentioned ring, the link characterized by the fact that the connecting strip forms a part of the g5 curved wall of each ring.

WILEY T. MOORE. 

